


Stuck With You

by PAPERSK1N



Series: One shots/Ficlets [7]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Arguing, Established Relationship, M/M, Mild Angst, Trapped In Elevator
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-28
Updated: 2014-11-28
Packaged: 2018-02-27 08:35:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2686235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PAPERSK1N/pseuds/PAPERSK1N
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ray and Joel get stuck in an elevator together after an argument.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stuck With You

The tension was thick in the air between them as they walked quickly through the corridor, to the lift. Ray was ahead, Joel traipsing behind, watching as his angry lover stabbed the call button with his thumb. He opened his mouth to speak, but decided against it, instead, swallowing silently.

Ray’s arms were folded as the lift doors opened and he stepped in, Joel just behind him. The lift suddenly felt a lot smaller than it had previously. Like the first time they hooked up, in the awkward moments between making out in Joel’s car and fumbling around in his bed sheets, it had felt like there were miles between them in the elevator. Miles that he was more than willing to crawl.

Now, Joel could practically feel Ray’s hot breath and sense his annoyance like they were pressed together, as he pressed the button that took them up to their floor. Ray didn't even look at him, just kept his eyes fixed on the ground.

The lift went up a few floors, and Joel watched as the number one rolled into two, and two rolled into three. Three began to roll into four, before it stopped, and the screen glitched. Ray wasn’t looking, but Joel was, and frowned to himself.

“What the-” he was cut off by the worst screeching sound he ever heard, before the sharp thud of the lift stopping. They both stumbled, before exchanging worried glances.

“That was weird.” Joel said quietly. Ray didn't answer, just stepped forwards, and pressed the button to open the doors. The button did nothing.

Suddenly, every light in the elevator went off. The red rims around the buttons and the light in the ceiling were dark. The two were plunged into darkness, and suddenly, the elevator felt even smaller than before.

“No, no- shit!” Joel hissed, pressing his hand anxiously at the cool metal of the wall. “We’re stuck in the lift, shit- please don’t tell me we’re stuck in the lift.”

He could only make out the whites of Ray’s eyes as the kid sunk to the floor, sitting down. Joel could vaguely make out him pushing his head into his hands, and scrambled to lean down beside him.

“Ray, no- stay with me! Don’t panic!” Joel could feel his own breaths become shallower. “Please don’t panic, we’re fine! See, we’re fine! We’re just… we’re just in a lift, apparently. We’re in a lift that isn’t moving, but  the best thing to do is _not to panic_!”

Joel did not realise he was yelling until Ray looked up at him and shouted back, “Shut the fuck up.”

“Stop panicking!”

“You’re making it worse!”

Joel took in a deep breath, and sat on the floor opposite Ray. There was a few seconds of silence before the emergency light flickered on, giving the room a yellow glow.

A voice came through the speaker by the buttons.

“Uhm, hello?”

Joel looked over to the speaker, and sighed in relief. “Thank _god._ Hi.”

“Hi there- uh, the building experienced a mild power outage, that’s all. We’re slowly getting everything back online.” The voice explained. Joel smiled, and nodded relieved.

“Good. so we’re getting out of here.”

“Well.” The voice hesitated and Joel frowned.

“Well what? What’s the well? I-I don’t understand why there would even be a well at all? We’re getting out of here, right?”

“Sorry Sir but… the elevator runs on a different power circuit than everything else. It’s going to be at least an hour before we can get it back on line.”

Joel softly hit his head against the wall. “Now that’s just inefficient.”

“Sorry sir.”

The voice stopped talking, followed by a beep. Joel turned, and rested his back against the wall of the elevator. He looked to Ray.

“Gonna be at least an hour.”

“I heard.” Ray said. He rubbed his head gently and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He huffed after a few seconds, and slipped it back in. “No battery. Of course.”

“Well.” Joel tried his best to smile warmly. “I guess we’ll just have to talk to each other.”

“Yeah, no thanks.” Ray snapped. Joel sighed.

“Ray, please. Can’t we just talk about this?” silence. “You know I hate it when we fight.”

“Weird, because it’s always your fault.” Ray deadpanned. Joel rolled his eyes.

“Really? I’m the one at fault here?”

“Yes! Actually, you _are_.”

“Well, that’s funny, because you’re the one that started acting pissed with me!”

“You’re the one that was acting like an asshole at the bar!”

“You’re the one that brought it into work!”

Ray actually laughed at this. “ _I’m_ the one that brought it into work?” he asked. “You’re the one that yelled it out to practically everyone in a five mile radius.”

“You were the one acting pissy with me at work to start with! Real fucking professional Ray!”

Ray frowned. “Oh, you know what Joel? Just do me a favour and fuck off, alright? I don’t want to speak to you, and if that means sitting here in silence for an hour, I'll do it.”

Joel was too angry to fight back. To riled up and full of pride to back down and apologise. Instead, he just clenched his fists, and rested his head back against the wall of the elevator.

The minutes ticked over, Joel knew that by the amount of times he had checked his watch, which was forty seven. They had been stuck for fifty two minutes. It had been forty five minutes since either of them had spoken. He had looked at Ray thirty-seven times, and considered ending their entire relationship once, before realising that the thought alone was ridiculous, because how could he ever be with anyone else?

He had spent the last thirteen minutes thinking over his relationship with Ray. They had only been dating for three months. They weren’t living together, but Ray had been staying at his for the past week after a gas leak in his building. It had been going great, for the most part, until yesterday when they had started arguing over the thinks that drunk Joel did at the bar.

And Joel really hated sleeping on the couch. He hated Ray giving him the cold shoulder. He hated not being able to share with him all the funny moments of his day. He hated not having Ray there to turn to, to tell him a funny anecdote from twenty years ago that he had only just remembered.

And they had only been fighting for a day.

Ray was looking at him now, and Joel realised his breaths had been getting quicker and quicker, and he had a death-grip on the handle above him. The two locked eyes.

“Are you okay?” Ray asked.

Joel let go of the bar, and nodded. “I’m fine.” He said. “I… I was just…” he paused, and took a deep breath, before looking at Ray. “I’m sorry.” He said. “I’m really sorry for flirting with girls at the bar and drinking so much and just generally being a grumpy old man 90% of the time.” He felt the words spilling out of him before his brain had the time to process them. “I’m sorry I don’t get all the references you make to video games and TV shows and Pokemon. I’m sorry I don’t ever play Call of Duty with you, and I’m really sorry I never come on your stream. I’m sorry for yelling at you today, in front of everyone, and calling you childish and I… I just really want us to get back to normal Ray. Because… because you! You’re it for me, Ray! That’s the bottom line.”

There was a silence between them as Ray’s big brown eyes swallowed up the words and promises that spilled from Joel’s mouth.

“What do you mean?” he finally spoke. “What do you mean I’m it for You?”

Joel glanced at the floor, swallowing nervously. He looked back up at Ray, and smiled awkwardly. “Um. I guess that’s my really shitty way of trying to tell you that I love you. Sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

Joel gritted his teeth, nervous grin fixed on his face. “You know,” he rubbed his at his neck with his hand as he spoke. “This is usually the part where you say something. Like you love me too or you don’t love me at all. Or you really like me but I’m moving too fast, and that’s okay, honestly It’s fine, I understand if you-”

“I love you too.” Ray laughed, his own smile growing. “Just… please shut up.”

Joel’s eyes lit up. “You love me too?” he asked. Ray nodded.

“Oh thank God!” Joel sighed in relief. “How long?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Ray shrugged. “Since the beginning really. But according to Michael it’s not custom to tell someone you love them on the second date.”

“What do I care about custom?” Joel asked with a laugh. “I don’t give a shit. I’ve loved you for… a long fucking time. I’ve just been way to pussy to tell you.” there was a beat, before Joel reached out and took Ray’s hand. He laced their fingers together. “I-You’re it for me. Seriously. I could never be with anyone else, not now.”

Ray smiled. “Have I ruined you for everyone else.”

Joel laughed. “Abso-fucking-lutley.” He replied, unable to keep the smile from his face. Ray went to say something else, when suddenly, the regular lights of the elevator lit up. The screen with the floor numbers whirred to life, and the red rims around the floor buttons shone again.

“You still okay in there?” the voice came through again. Joel sighed in relief and Ray cheered, throwing one arm in the air.

“Yes.” Joel breathed. “But we would very much like to be out now.”

“Just, hit your floor button, and the elevator can take you up.”

“Thank you!” Ray called, standing up as Joel did. their hands were still linked, and Joel reached forwards, pressing button that would take them up to their own floor.

There was silence again as the elevator travelled, but it was not tense. The elevator still felt uncomfortably small, but Joel didn't mind as long as he had Ray beside him. Ray walked in front of him, like before, but this time Joel was being pulled along behind, up to their front door. Ray took Joel’s key from his pocket, and opened the door, and they both slipped inside.

Ray turned as the door closed behind them, and tiptoed up, kissing Joel on the lips once.

“Sorry.” He said afterwards. “I just missed doing that over the past twenty-four hours.”

Joel beamed. “Please, _never_ apologise for kissing me. _Never.”_

“Alright.” Ray smiled back, and kissed Joel again, before walking away, tossing the keys back onto the counter and heading over to the couch.

“So does this mean we can totally have sex now?” Joel asked, pulling a bottle of water from the fridge. Ray scoffed, Xbox controlled already in his hands.

“You’re lucky enough to not be sleeping on the couch.” He said. Joel whined, and Ray looked up to him, smirking. “And… well- I guess we’ll see about the rest.”

Joel grinned and practically ran over to the sofa, slamming himself into Ray’s side, kissing him on the lips and then all over his face. Ray laughed and protested, but eventually, the controller fell from his hands, and he let Joel kiss him properly, the two melting into each other as they fell into a lying position on the couch.

“I love you.” Joel said, pulling away. Ray blushed, but smiled.

“Yeah. I love you too. Moron.”

"You're stuck with me now, you know that, right?" Joel asked. Ray laughed, and leant up a little, pressing their foreheads together.

"You've got to put up with my shitty ramblings. And my drunken idiocy. And  _a lot_ of stuff about the economy. Think you can handle it."

Ray paused for a moment, grinning. "I don't know." he said, reaching up to run his fingers through Joel's hair once.

"Stuck with you? Not so bad."


End file.
